When Empires Walked on Water
The floating city of Tenochtitlan and how it came to be
Deep in the mountains of Mexico, rests the most powerful city of the New World. Floating on Lake Texcoco, this incredible feat of engineering was accomplished by a civilization that never used metal, beasts of burden, or even the wheel.
The Aztecs ruled over Central Mexico with an iron fist, smiting anyone who dared to defy their mighty power.
It would only make sense for such a dominant society would have an equally as dominant capital city. Come with me as we explore the lost metropolis of Tenochtitlan.
Founding Myth
The Capital of the Aztec Empire was founded around 1325 CE on the banks of Lake Texcoco. Deep in the Valley of Mexico, the city was built in Aztlan (the mythologized place where Tenochtitlan was said to be).
The Aztecs, also referred to as the Mexica, were led by the god Huitzilopochtli, the god of the Sun and War.
They were directed to build their city where ever they saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake, which happened to occur on the island in the…
